The essence of mountain merlot, out 2017 Vintner Select Merlot possesses complex notes of kirsch, blackberry, rose petal, graphite and ripe plum. The texture is layered and unctuous, coating the mouth in waves of supple, intense fruit that continues to saturate the mouth long after each sip.

Over our 25 years of trying different merlot clones at different growing sites around the property, we find that clone 3 merlot grown on our warmest south-facing slopes is what makes our most thrilling, flavorful and concentrated merlot; our VS Merlot comes entirely from these clone 3 merlot blocks each vintage.  Once the VS Merlot has been blended, the rough formula for the Reserve Claret is 2/3 VS Merlot and 1/3 Reserve Cab.  We typically make around 500 cases of VS Merlot each vintage compared to 600+ cases of Reserve Claret and 5000+ cases of Pride Merlot.